LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Monday, September 9, 2013

You Don't Belong at the Hummingbird Feeder


We have several hummingbird feeders in the yard and hanging over the deck.  The one we have hanging on the deck is a Droll Yankees and we watch this one more often than the others because of its location.  This feeder has a center "ant trap" to keep ants from entering the feeder.  It collects water when it rains and surprisingly enough, many of our birds drink from it.  Believe it or not we have seen tiny hummingbirds challenge these much larger birds.  And in every case, the larger bird retreats.
 
 
The chickadee hangs on.

 
 
 
The goldfinch, upside down to get a drink.

 
 
 
The titmouse is not after a drink at all.

 
 
 
There was an insect caught in the trap.  Easy pickin's
(You may need to click and enlarge)

It always surprises me to see other birds at the hummingbird feeder, especially when they are there to get a drink.  It seems so awkward.  And within three feet of the feeder is a large birdbath ever so much easier to access.  Who knows?  Maybe they don't want to drink bath water.





14 comments:

The Bug said...

What a nice diversity of birds! They haven't done it this year, but last year our sparrows liked to drink the air conditioner runoff instead of use the bird bath. Well, they used that too - but maybe the other water tasted better :)

Mary Lee said...

I had no idea that a hummingbird feeder was actually the neighborhood bar! I've seen bees and ants, but never other kinds of birds. GOOD EYE (and camera!)

Carolina Linthead said...

LOL! Great shots. I've seen hummingbirds circling our regular bird feeders, too...kind of like "What's going on here? Huh? Huh? Any nectar? What kind of dive is this?" Love the little song birds...

Arkansas Patti said...

Wow, your hummer feeder really is versatile. Really nice shots.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful photographs. Bird behavior is really so interesting. They really do surprise us sometimes.

Ms. A said...

Maybe the other birds need a little sugar fix.

Great shots!

Dog_geek said...

We have lots of hummingbird feeders. And lots and lots of hummingbirds. I don't often see other birds at the feeders, but our hummers don't hesitate to challenge ME if I get too close to a feeder. And without fail, I always retreat!

Dog_geek said...

We have lots of hummingbird feeders. And lots and lots of hummingbirds. I don't often see other birds at the feeders, but our hummers don't hesitate to challenge ME if I get too close to a feeder. And without fail, I always retreat!

KGMom said...

Hummingbirds only seems delicate (and thereby docile) to us...in reality they are territorial and fierce.

NanaNor's said...

This is one of the reasons I've been hesitant to add a feeder at my house. We have several types of aggressive birds and I'm afraid they would scare of the hummingbirds. Another reason is we don't plan to stay here for more than a year, so don't want the birds dependent on us. Thanks for sharing-I love all birds(except for Grackles).
Hugs, Noreen

Busy Bee Suz said...

How cute. I agree...I don't drink where I bathe. :)

Vicki Lane said...

Great captures! I've never seen other birds at the hummer feeder.

KB said...

We see similar antics, but mainly from the woodpeckers. We warn them of "beak decay" from sipping sugar water!

I especially love the Goldfinch photo. What a pose!

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Donna - Oh yes, they are fierce fighters for certain.